Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
it is finished
Övörkhangai, Mongolia
Just hours to ulaan baatar! The trip down to the corner shop may seem like a long way but that's just peanuts to ulaan baatar. Still, it seems like no time at all. Freezing cold at night, tent walls frozen stiff. Feels like we're driving a trampoline on wheels - rear shock absorbers gone and rear left spring snapped... We plan to cross the finish line tomorrow!
, Altai Mountains
So we've managed to fix the car...and then break it again. Pigwigeon the panda's car computer thought that we'd had a crash and shut off the fuel pump. It turns out that there's a button under the passenger seat that fixes this; perhaps we could have avoided the oil change, replacement driveshaft gaiter and shock absorber had we known about it earlier. Rear shock problems so very bouncy. Finished the great gatsby audiobook, so we've run out of audiobooks. Queen will suffice, and a German team gave us a cd with the proclaimers on repeat - doesn't get much better than that... Still, 1000km to ulaan baatar!
Khovd, Mongolia
we are in Khovd, Mongolia! Luckily there are only three Khovds within the space of 50 square kilometres so was no trouble finding the right one... Cruising at 25 mph on a gravel road, no problems apart from the fact that we're being towed by three very helpful Germans in a skoda fabia due to the car not starting. Also a Mongolian has 'borrowed' our jack for a bit but I'm sure we'll see it soon.. Getting Tarmac mirages and we managed to purloin a magnificent goat's skull. All is perfectly ordinary thus far!@
Barnaul, Russia
I'm in the car park of a hotel in barnaul opposite a Russian man who looks just like Vladimir Putin. Doppelgänger or genuine article? ** some text is missing ** heading to the mongolia border!@
Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan
Once again we find ourselves in Middle-of-fucking-nowhere-istan, the most underrated of the stans. Our trusty tin opener has broken - German engineering my arse, we did get it from woolworths in Heidelberg, no wonder it went bust - and instead of fusilli al tonno, we will be having pasta with sardines, a lesser known accidental delicacy in wherever we are... Hey ho, high spirits, the Russia border is drawing ever nearer!
Almaty, Kazakhstan
After a disappointment at the cosmodrome, we have made it to the focal point of our route south. Time to sort out a few things on the to-do list; getting the oil changed and fuel filter looked at is a priority. Then to find a ruddy-faced Kazakh local to wash our clothes - everything has somehow turned a murky shade of brown. Hoping to skip a light fandango to the Mongol border by Monday, but the Russian border crossing could take a long time and several bribes. We've discovered the best policy when you're flagged down by police is to look the other way and drive off.
Kyzylorda Province, Kazakhstan
massive let down at jalangash, where the purported ship graveyard turned out to be barely one ship. Spent four hours babysitting twenty Kazakh kids who happen to enjoy stealing things and scratching cars, while the other teams trekked the four kilometres to the ship. We have now broken the fellowship again, heading to the baikonur cosmodrome.
Aktobe, Kazakhstan
Change of plan, split from the northbound convoy in aktobe Kazakhstan to head south to the Aral sea and Almati before heading north to Leninogorsk. Only 1482 kilometres more than we had planned, but on potentially much worse roads or no roads at all.
Atyrau, Kazakhstan
We drove the worst road in the world yesterday. A motorcyclist in our convoy bottomed out on his rear suspension, and another team broke their suspension and cracked their windscreen. They are at a garage in beyneu hoping it can be fixed, while we're trying and failing to catch up with an ambulance driven by two crazy Germans, for whom every road is an autobahn, a view reflected in their unexpected shredding through a tyre this morning. Atyrau awaits.
